Flexible bracelet



Feb. 28, 1928. 1,660,438

J. FIELDING FIJEXIBLLI BRACELET Filed May 20. 1925 4 /9 ATTORNEYS.

: By bm nga/11M l3atented Feb. 28, H528.

UiTEo STATES Joiin EiEEniivs, or NORTH kERoviniinc E, RHODE ISLAND, iassreiicn oE'oiiE-iiALE-To.

n insana i PATENT ortica JOSEPH r. WHITAKER, or WARWICK, RHonE ISLAND.

FLEXIBLE. BRACELET.

i Appiication filed may 2o, 1925. semi No. 31,519.

will slide in the box link and the provision of abutments lin the connecting link.a and the Y box link in which lit is housed; whereby onel may be slidably extended relatively to the other for the. purpose of enlarging the oper-` ating length of the bracelet; in which. case a spring is arranged to act vupon the links to normally hold vthem in contracted position.

A still further objectot rthis invention is the provision oit inwardly projecting lugs formed in the side walls of the box links,r

one pair of these lugs being adapted 'to serve as pins to pivotally connect the box links with the connector ylink and another pair of lugs being arranged -to engage abut ments in the connector links housed in the boX links to limit thesliding action between them.

The invention turther consists in the setting of the, rear wall 'ofthis box "linkinwa'rdly to forni groovestor the side of the connecting linkto prevent these side walls from springing inwardly and away from the pivot lugs and stop lugs which connect them, this construction being used more particularly when the links are formed from veryfthin stock as when made of gold, platinurm and of the more expensive metals. v l u The invention still further consists inthe forming ot the pivot lugs andstop lugson an acute, angle tothe side wall `of the Vbox link to act somewhat in the` capacity Vot" a hook so that when the linksare under strain and extended these lugsWill engage and have portions overlyingv the walls 'ot the connector link so as to` prevent a springing apart or separating action of the walls oit the box links and their contained connector. links to elfectually prevent the links from being pulled apart by springing their side walls out of engagement with their conf necting lugs. J j

With these and other' objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features position.

of construction, as willjbe morer fully described, and 'particularly pointedv out in the appended claims. v

In the accompanyingl drawings: Figure l is a perspective view showing a plurality of links'of'. my improved construc-V v tion as connected together and also showing the end portions of the spring asv extending through all ofthese links serving. to nor-v in allyl hold them in contractedv position.

Figure 2 isa perspective view illustrating the Vblank lfrom which the outer or box link is. formed by a folding operation; also show-4V vingthe sets lot lug members as formed 'from the stock thereof 4 Figure 3 isl a perspective view showing the under side of the connector link. 4 f Figure 4- is an enlarged .sectional side elevation showing some of the box links'in contracted position with a connector :link

housed therein also showingoneot" the box links in extendedv position with a portion of the connector link exposed in the space between the two separated box'links.

e Figure 5 isy a sectional plan view showing the links in the same relative positions as those in Figure 41 and` illustrating they angularly-disposed lugs in. thesi'de walls of lthe box links 'as engaging thel stock of; the side walls of the connector link when in extended Figure 6, yis a sectional end view on line tlv-6.0i' Figure 5. l

It is found inthepracticall construction and operation .of flexible bracelets of this character, of advantage to provide a series of box-shaped' links and connecting theml tovgether by a series of yconnectorl links slid# 4 able in the box links also to torno inwardly-v extending 'lugs ifn the side walls of the box links by which these box links are pivotallfy,

connected to the 'connector links andto pro-A i vide a continuous coiled spring extending Lvthrough all of the links and attached to` opposite end members of the links to permit an vextendible action between the box links and the slide or connector links. It is also found of advantage to provide means for preventing a separatingaction between the side walls of the box links and vthose of the connector links. to prevent them from springing apart and out of engagement with. their connecting lugs while in extended position and undersev'ere strain, which construction is advantageous particularly when the links ico are formed of very thin metal such as when made of gold, platinum, or of the other expensive metals; and the following is a Vdetailed description of the present embodie ment of my invention showing one meansby may be erably folded up from a blank which isV best illustrated in Figure 2 so as to have a top wall 11, bottom wall 12 and sidewalls 13.

These side walls at one end of thel box are each provided with pivot ears 13 which are preferably formed on the arc of a circle, the opposite ends of these side walls" being cor respondingly recessed as at 14 to receive the pose, presently described.

pivot earsl?) of the next adjacent box link. Theseears 13 are each provided with inwardly-extending integral pivot pins 'or lugs `15 of a length to project inwardly adistance greater than the thickness offl the stock of theconnecting member. Also, IA preferably provide a pair ofabutments '16 in the sidewalls on each of these box links for `the pur- Slidably mounted in these box links is a channel 'shaped connecting link 17, each havinga top wall 18, and side walls 19. These f side walls are pierced as at`20 to receive the pivot pins or lugs 15 of the box links, and the top wall at its pivoted end is provided with an extending portion 21 preferably rounded over on the arcof a circle"` about the ipivot center so as to permit an inwardly swing# ing movement between the box links `to render the bracelet flexible.

The side walls of this connecting lug are also preferably slotted as at 22 to receive the abutment lugs 16 so, as to limit the rela# tive extending sliding motion between the box link and the connecting link. f Y In order to normally hold these box links and their connector links in contracted: position, I have mounted an elongated coiled spring 23 to extend through these box links and their connectors from end to end of the bracelet and the ends of which Vspring may be connected together when the bracelet is a continuous band for encircling the wrist, but when employed as a watch bracelet having connectinghooks at its ends, the ends of this spring may be connected to these hook members by any suitable means (not shown), in order to exert a contracting tension upon the links of the bracelet;

In some instances, where these bracelet links are formed of very thin stock such as gold or platinum, itfis found of advantage to provide means for preventing the side walls of the outer box links from spreading outwardly `and also to preventthe walls 19 of the connector member from bending inwardly when under a heavy separating strain. One means for preventing the inner to the pins or lugs,is to offset inwardly the rear wall 12 of the` boxl link providing abutment i i portions 24 on this rear wall of the link, thereby preventing the inward springing of the side walls 19 of the connector member away from the side wall of its box link.

Another moans of assisting in the separat ing of the side walls of the outer box inember and the` connector member, is by setting boththe pivot pins 15 and the abutinentror stop lugs or pins 16 on opposite acute angles link, w iereby when extended these lugs and pivot pins will overhang the abutting Walls of the connectormember and so prevent a spreading or separating action between them. My` improved form"` of construction of bracelet is very simple, practical.` and is strong and durable, andbyits construction it may be. made flexiblewithout being made extendible by simply omitting the slot 22 in the side wall ofthe connectormember.

lane of the side Walls ofthe outer The foregoing description isl` directed solely towards the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the` privilege of resorting to all the mechan`` ical changes to which the device is `suscep-` tible, the invention being defined and limited only by theterms of the appended claims.

"I claim:

` 1. A llexib'lebracelet comprising a series of box links havingV top and side walls, a series of connectorlinks slidable in therbox links and havingtop and sidewalls, the latter walls being arranged to slide inclose contact withthose ofthe box links, pivotal studs `connecting one end of said box link to the ico connector link in the next adjacent box link,

saidlpivotal studs having'portions overlying the inner ysurface ofthe inner side wall for preventing separation of the adjacent fside `walls ofthe two links when the bracelet is undertension. f

2. A flexible bracelet 'comprising a series of box linkshaving top, bottom andside4 surface thereof for preventing vthe adja cent side walls of the two linksfrom springing away `from each other under a bracelet elongating strain. Y

3. .A flexiblebracelet comprising a series of boxilinks having top, bottom and Vside walls, a series of connector links slidably f housed in said box links and having top and side walls, the latter walls being arranged to slide in close Contact with those of said box links, one end of the box link being pivoted to the connect-or link, the bottom of said box being raised to form abutments for engaging the side walls of the Connector link for preventing the adjacent walls of the two links from springing away from. each other under a bracelet elongating strain.V

4. A flexible bracelet Comprising a series of bo); links having sidewalls, a series of.

connector links slidably housed in said box links and having side walls with `eyes adjacent one end, one end of each box link having pivot lugs extending into corresponding eyes in the connector link, a slot in the side l wallof one oit' said links spaced from saidv tion.

1n testimony whereof l aliix my signature'.

JOHN FIELDING. 

